Hexaminolevulinate blue light cystoscopy (Hal) assisted transurethral resection of the bladder tumour vs white light transurethral resection of the bladder tumour in non-muscle invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC): A retrospective analysis

Background: Bladder cancer is the eleventh most commonly diagnosed cancer worldwide. The recurrence rate of this cancer can be very high, up to 45%. Photodynamic diagnosis (PDD) is more sensitive than standard procedures for the detection of malignant tumours. The aim of the study was to evaluate oncological outcomes in white light TURB (WL-TURB) and hexaminolevuninate blue light TURB (Hal-TURB). Patients and methods: This was a retrospective longitudinal single-center study. In the period between January 2016 and October 2016 WL-TURB was the only therapeutic option available. From November 2016 until April 2017 all TURBs were fluorescence-guided (Hal-TURB). Kaplan-Meier curves have been used to estimate recurrence free survival rates. Results: One hundred and eleven patients underwent Hal-TURB and 137 underwent WL-TURB. Recurrence rate after 12 months was 19.8% (22 out of 111 patients) and 37.2% (51 out of 137 patients) in HAL-group and WL-group respectively (p < 0.01). The recurrence-free period was longer in HAL-group rather than WL-group (8.9 months vs 7.3 months, p < 0.05). Moreover, the recurrence rate during the first 6 months was 3.7% in patients who underwent HAL-TURB and 16% in those who received WL-TURB (p < 0.01). Conclusion: The results of the study show that recurrence-free survival was longer in patients undergoing HAL-TURB compared to the patients who received standard WL-TURB.